Transmission wise? Depends used to be that manuals were always faster but nowadays some of the dual clutch automatics are faster I can't really comment on the nat 3 as I have never driven one standard nor auto I have a speed

I think the standard is something along .3 seconds quicker, really, its doesnt make a difference unless you are buying it to be a track car, its all preference. I went with the manual because I wanted my second car to be a standard, as I never owned one before and I wanted to feel that connection and control over the car. It can be a pain in the ass in traffic but at the same time it is alot more fun and easier to maintain. Hope this helps

I test drove both 3s, the manual is faster once you are used to it. It just seems using the sportronic feature, it just seems like you are waiting for it to change gears. But like horrorscope said the manual is also a few fractions of a second quicker in a line as well.

I test drove both 3s, the manual is faster once you are used to it. It just seems using the sportronic feature, it just seems like you are waiting for it to change gears. But like horrorscope said the manual is also a few fractions of a second quicker in a line as well.

If you're saying b/t the standard manual shifting and sportronic shifting then I'd assume standard manual... I've been messing with my sporttronic a lot recently cause I'd like to get into autox (should have got a manual) and like wingzero said, there is a decent delay from when you shift to when the car actually shifts. You can pull back to upshift and go up another 500 rpms before it shifts. And downshifting seems sluggish as well. But I've never owned a manual so I can't compare..

I think the standard is something along .3 seconds quicker, really, its doesnt make a difference unless you are buying it to be a track car, its all preference. I went with the manual because I wanted my second car to be a standard, as I never owned one before and I wanted to feel that connection and control over the car. It can be a pain in the ass in traffic but at the same time it is alot more fun and easier to maintain. Hope this helps

The only fast shifting sportronic/clutchless manuals are dual clutch autos (i.e. VW's DSG). The manual is quicker because manuals have less drivetrain power loss than autos do, plus they weigh less. Manuals are also a lot more fun to drive... until you get stuck in a traffic jam (daily thing for me in SoCal).

The only fast shifting sportronic/clutchless manuals are dual clutch autos (i.e. VW's DSG). The manual is quicker because manuals have less drivetrain power loss than autos do, plus they weigh less. Manuals are also a lot more fun to drive... until you get stuck in a traffic jam (daily thing for me in SoCal).

Very true! The DSGs have two clutches so one is already ready with the next gear rather than having to switch from one to the other. Super complicated engineering behind it and that is the simple version. If you want to shift fast with the manual, you can do so by switching shifting fast enough where you don't have to rev match, ie. you shift fast enough from 2nd to 3rd so the timing is just right when you put it into 3rd and release the clutch. Smooth and you don't have to even think about the accelerator pedal until after the shift is complete.

Very true! The DSGs have two clutches so one is already ready with the next gear rather than having to switch from one to the other. Super complicated engineering behind it and that is the simple version. If you want to shift fast with the manual, you can do so by switching shifting fast enough where you don't have to rev match, ie. you shift fast enough from 2nd to 3rd so the timing is just right when you put it into 3rd and release the clutch. Smooth and you don't have to even think about the accelerator pedal until after the shift is complete.

Good tip bud. It's just crazy sometimes when you are taking a drag with someone driving DSG and less powerful car how he just run away fast than you. Just because I screwed up my shift from 1 to 2 (this clutch is not very precise in a Ms3) by the time I fix the problem the other guy is already taking a huge lead and laughing about me.

Good tip bud. It's just crazy sometimes when you are taking a drag with someone driving DSG and less powerful car how he just run away fast than you. Just because I screwed up my shift from 1 to 2 (this clutch is not very precise in a Ms3) by the time I fix the problem the other guy is already taking a huge lead and laughing about me.

Yeah, your right about making one mistake but manual is WAYYYYYYY more fun that automatic to me, even if it is a paddle shifter. Its just not the same feeling... You can fix most of the drive train slop with a stiffer RMM and also a short shift plate or full replacement with the TWM as Kambo said.

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the 2004 to 2014 Mazda 3 Forum and Mazdaspeed 3 Forums forums, you must first register.
Please enter your desired user name, your email address and other required details in the form below.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

Log-in

User Name

Remember Me?

Password

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.